Sugar Hill (1994 film)

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Sugar Hill
The movie poster for Sugar Hill.
Directed by	Leon Ichaso
Produced by	Marc Abraham Greg Brown Rudy Langlais Steven R. McGlothen
Written by	Barry Michael Cooper
Starring	Wesley Snipes Michael Wright Theresa Randle Clarence Williams III Abe Vigoda Ernie Hudson
Music by	Terence Blanchard
Distributed by	20th Century Fox
Release date(s)	February 25, 1994
Running time	123 min.
Language	English
IMDb profile

Sugar Hill is a 1994 is a crime-drama/Neo-noir starring Wesley Snipes and Michael Wright as brothers Roemello and Raynathan Skuggs. The film focuses on the two brothers, who are major drug dealers in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City.

Through the course of the film, it shows the several flashbacks involving the Skuggs brothers, including (in the beginning of the film) the drug-overdose death of their mother Ella (portrayed by Khandi Alexander) and the shooting of their drug-addicted musician, A.R. (Clarence Williams III), ultimately at the hands of the man they would later work for--Gus Molino (Abe Vigoda). Roemello, as a teenager (played by Dulé Hill) avenges his father’s shooting by shooting and killing Sal Marconi (Raymond Serra), a business partner of Gus’. After contemplating for awhile, Roemello decides to quit dealing and start a new life with his girlfriend, Melissa (Theresa Randle), to the disdain of Raynathan, who is scared and hesitant to leave the drug game. However, Roemello learns that getting out is nowhere near as easy as getting in.

A series of events lead up to Roemello's eventual departure from the drug game, such as the death of his best friend, Ricky Goggles (Steve Harris) at the hands of an up and coming Brooklyn drug dealer and former boxing champion, Lolly Jonas (Ernie Hudson). The Skuggs brothers and their associates find Ricky’s burned body hanging from the side of a neighborhood apartment building. They later go after and then kill Tony Adamo, one of the other men responsible for Ricky Goggles’ death. Because of this, an eventual street war starts off between The Skuggs crew and Lolly’s organization.

Melissa becomes more hesitant of being involved with Roemello, because of his lifestyle. After learning of the death of an aspiring teenage “stick-up kid”, Kymie (Donald Faison) in Roemello’s neighborhood (Kymie, in fact, saves Roemello’s life in a drive-in shooting by Lolly’s people), she decides to break off with Roemello and would have one date with an abusive basketball star, Mark Doby (Vondie Curtis Hall). After an episode where Mark physically abused Melissa, she eventually returns to Roemello and they begin to make plans to leave New York City.

Before Roemello and Melissa depart for North Carolina, they stop by to visit A.R. However, upon arriving at A.R.’s apartment, they find him dead of a drug overdose. Raynathan gave A.R. the heroin that would eventually kill him, with Raynathan’s reasoning being that he wanted “put him out of misery”. Raynathan is found across the street, coming out of Gus’ restaurant, where he gunned down Gus, Lolly, and Harry, Gus’ son.

Roemello tells Raynathan what A.R. what happen, but Raynathan accepts responsibility of their father’s death. After seeing Melissa waiting for Roemello, Raynathan fires his gun at her, and the brothers proceed to fight each other, with Raynathan accidentally shoots Roemello. Realizing this, Raynathan panics and shoots himself in the head, taking his own life.

Roemello and Melissa, sometime later, do move to North Carolina, where they have a young son, but Roemello is found paralyzed (the extent of the paralysis was not explained), however is enjoying family life.

The film is regarded as making popular the term Akata amongst African Americans. This is in relation to a scene at the nightclub that the Skuggs brothers frequent, where they having a business meeting with two Nigerian businessmen. Roemello and Raynathan felt insulted when they learned what the word “Akata” meant and that the Nigerians did not want to deal with Black Americans. The two brothers then proceed to beat up the Nigerians.

The film is also known for Michael Wright's most unusual rendition of "Love TKO" by Teddy Pendegrass.

[edit] Cast

Wesley Snipes as Roemello Skuggs
Michael Wright as Raynathan Skuggs
Clarence Williams III as A.R. Skuggs
Theresa Randle as Melissa
Abe Vigoda as Gus Molino
Ernie Hudson as Lolly Jonas
Steve Harris as Ricky Goggles
O.L. Duke as Tutty
Donald Faison as Kymie
Joe Dallesandro as Tony Adamo
Leslie Uggams as Doris Holly
Vondie Curtis Hall as Mark Doby
Khandi Alexander as Ella Skuggs
DeVaughn Nixon as Raynathan Skuggs (age 11)
Sam Gordon as Raynathan Skuggs (age 18)
Marquise Wilson as Roemello Skuggs (age 10)
Dulé Hill as Roemello Skuggs (age 17)